Parliament praises police for foiling cash-in-transit robberies

The parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Police has welcomed the focused approach adopted by the South African Police Service (SAPS) to deal with cash-in-transit robberies.

"The good cooperation between Crime Intelligence, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation and other specialised units is key to achievement of recent breakthroughs," said chairperson of the committee, Francois Beukman.

In a separate incident on Tuesday, security personnel managed to thwart an attempted cash-in-transit heist between Dundee and Nquthu in KwaZulu-Natal following a shootout with robbers.

"The committee has noted the recent arrests by SAPS of high-profile individuals and groups suspected to be involved in the cash-in-transit incidents and robberies across the country. [The police] should be commended for their hard work and commitment to deal with serious crime," Beukman said.

South Africa has been dealing with a scourge of cash-in-transit robberies for years. In 2014 there were 180 cash-in-transit incidents, in 2017 there were 370 – a staggering 105% increase in just three years, according to research by Anneliese Burgess, author of the book Heist.